Know God,Know Peace

2 Thessalonians 3:16Adapted from a

Davon Huss sermonhttp://www.sermoncentral.com/

print_friendly.asp?ContributorID=&SermonID=45371

Consider the sad story of Wilmer McLean. Prior to the Civil War, McLean owned a house on the Bull

Run in Northern Virginia. In 1861, during action at Manassas, a cannonball dropped through McLean’s kitchen fireplace chimney and into a stew being prepared for CSA Gen. P.G.T. Beauregard.

Seeking a more tranquil place to live, McLean bought a farmhouse in — of all places — Appomattox County. McLean’s house was chosen for the surrender meeting between Grant and Lee.Later, McLean is supposed to have said "The war began in my front yard and ended in my front parlor".Once the ceremony was over, members of the Army of the Potomac began taking the tables, chairs, and various other furnishings in the house —essentially, anything that was not tied down—as souvenirs.

They simply handed the protesting McLean money as they made off with his property.

Major General Edward Ord paid $40 for the table Lee had used to sign the surrender

document, while Major General Philip Sheridan got the table on which Grant had

drafted the document for $20 in gold. Sheridan then asked George Armstrong

Custer to carry it away on his horse. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilmer_McLean

The McLeans left Appomattox Court House and returned to Mrs. McLean’s Prince

William County, Virginia estate in the fall of 1867. When Wilmer McLean defaulted on repayment of loans, the banking house of

"Harrison, Goddin, and Apperson" of Richmond, Virginia brought a judgment against him, and the "Surrender House"

was sold at public auction on November 29, 1869.

Peace is a stranger to us. Wars we have had in abundance. We have had two world wars. The last half of the last century was peppered with between 60 to 100 other

wars, depending on how we define the word "war." Individual lives have been equally chaotic. Homes and marriage torn apart,

civil strife, crime on the street and in politics; where can there be peace? The

beginning years of this century do not seem to offer much hope for future.

The world describes peace by thinking of the opposite of peace and says what peace

isn’t; it isn’t war.The peace that Jesus came to bring was

not just peace for one nation, but for all the nations of the world. This peace would not be brought about through political force or conquest of war, but through the humble

Jesus.

The question being asked today from all walks of life is, "Where does world peace begin?" World peace does not start way over there somewhere. It begins in our

hearts and minds.When there is peace in the heart, there is

peace in the family; when there is peace in the family, there is peace in the community;

when there is peace in the community; there is peace in the nation; when there is peace in the nation, there is peace in the

world.

The world works on outward peace. Christ works on inward peace and then works through us to bring that peace to others,

Christ starts in the heart and works his way outward.

Let’s talk about the nature, the source, the channel, the duration, and then the absence

of peace.

In an old copy of “The Wonderful Word” magazine, edited by Leon Tucker, is this

sermon by W.H. Griffith entitled "The Power of Peace.“

He gave an exposition of:

2 Thessalonians 3:16 NETNow may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way.

The Lord be with you all.

The Nature of Peace

Peace of a quiet conscience

Romans 8:33 NET Who will bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who

justifies. 34 Who is the one who will condemn? Christ is the one who died (and more than that, he was raised), who is at

the right hand of God, and who also is interceding for us.

35 Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will trouble, or distress, or

persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?

Three questions

1. Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen?

Even when mankind brings some charge against us, we know that through Jesus

Christ we are fine. If we are guilty, we know that the blood has covered us. If we are not

guilty, we know that God will judge and bring vengeance against the slanderer. We

do not have to worry or fret over false or true charges. It’s not like legal dramas

where the lawyers are scrambling to find solutions or answers. We don’t have to

worry.

2. Who is he that condemns?Jesus Christ is going to judge the world. John 5:22 NET Furthermore, the Father

does not judge anyone, but has assigned all judgment to the Son,

We should fear the condemnation of the Son. Do we know the Son? Are we under

the blood? Have we made him our Lord and Savior? No hard questions on the Day of

Judgment.Do you know the Son?Is he a friend of yours?

3. Who or what shall separate us from the love of Christ?

Romans 8:37 NET No, in all these things we have complete victory through him who

loved us! 38 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor heavenly rulers, nor things that are present, nor

things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in creation will be able to separate us from the love of God

in Christ Jesus our Lord.

If we have a good relationship with Jesus Christ, our consciences should be clear.

Hebrews 13:18 NET Pray for us, for we are sure that we have a clear conscience and desire to conduct ourselves rightly in every

respect.

Many people’s consciences condemn them. Keep playing the memories over and over. It is said of some Catholic convents: They look for young women who eat, laugh and sleep well. If they eat well, they physically can endure any hardship and any living condition. If they laugh well, they have a

joyful spirit and can bear their cross easily and with gladness. If they sleep well, they have no serious sins and have a healthy

spiritual life.

Do you have a healthy spiritual life? Granted some people’s consciences

condemn them when it is not justified. Some have a warped sense of right and

wrong. Some people’s consciences exonerate them when they have committed heinous crimes. How is your conscience?

Does it condemn you? You and Jesus need to have a talk about that. How does it feel

when you know you’re all right when you lay your head on your pillow at night?

Peace of a restful mindPhilippians 4:7 NET And the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard

your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

Distrustful anxietyUnusual concern betrays a lack of trust in God’s care. Your mind is never at rest. You need to do more, need to be more. Give it a

rest. Pray about everything. Peter says, And God will exalt you in due time, if you humble yourselves under his mighty hand

by casting all your cares on him because he cares for you. 1 Peter 5:6,7 NET

O what peace we often forfeit,O what needless pain we bear,

All because we do not carry, everything to God in prayer!

Be thankful for everything.Count your blessings.

Seeing all we have makes us grateful, increases our love for God and reduces

needless worry.

Peace of a surrendered willWhat am I going to do? How am I going to

do it? Where should I go? When should I do it? For what reasons should I do it? Most of this is relieved when we have a surrendered

will to Jesus Christ. He is our Lord, our leader, our Master. We don’t have to worry about those things because he will reveal it

to us.God is my Co-Pilot. If God is your Co-Pilot,

you better switch seats.

Let him be in control so you don’t have to worry about it. Give up and let Jesus take

over and he’ll make a way for you.

Well, if you’ve got mountains that you can’t climb, and if you got rivers that you can’t

cross, oh and if you’ve got valley’s that you can’t span, let Jesus hold to your hand.

Well if you’ve got burdens to hard to bear, and if your load is more than your share, kneel down and talk to Jesus because I

know that he cares. I want you to know that he’ll make a way somehow. Resignation is

peace.Peace of a hopeful heart

Isaiah 50:7 NIV Because the Sovereign LORD helps me, I will not be disgraced.

Therefore have I set my face like flint, and I know I will not be put to shame.

Hope keeps us going. Without hope, we despair and quit.

I set my face like flint.

I shall not be, I shall not be moved.Just like a tree that’s planted by the water.

How do people have hope like that? They know where they are going and nothing will be able to disgrace them because they are

in God’s will.

God will always help those who are Christians. It may not be exactly the kind of help we were looking for but God is always in it and he will get us through. There is a lot of hope there. People are at peace on the direction or course of action they have taken. They are going in God’s direction.

Peace of loving fellowshipFellowship with brothers and sisters in

Christ is so important. Acts 2:42 NET They were devoting

themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to

prayer. Acts 2:46 NET Every day they continued to gather together by common consent in the temple courts, breaking bread from house to house, sharing their food with glad and

humble hearts,

We do not experience that like the 1st century Christians did. Why? If there is

trouble in the church, it is because there is trouble in somebody’s heart. Give us peace when we are with those who love us and we

love them. Contrast Christian fellowship with the fellowship in the world.

1 John 1:6 NET If we say we have fellowship with him and yet keep on walking

in the darkness, we are lying and not practicing the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have

fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.

We have fellowship, communion, with God. God is the friend who sticks closer than any brother. He is always there and if we have God in our lives we can feel his presence.

The Source of PeacePeace with God

Romans 5:1 NET Therefore, since we have been declared righteous by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus

Christ,

We are in rebellion, war, and enmity with God. This is our problem. When we sin, we sin against God. We need to make peace

with God.

God has made the peace treaty possible through Jesus Christ.

Lot of issues with God.Make your peace with God before it’s too late. In God is peace. In us is trouble and

war and hatred, etc. God is a God of peace. He wants to come and bring peace and

rest.The God of peace

Romans 15:33 NET Now may the God of peace be with all of you. Amen.

The peace of God which passes all understanding. Something that mankind

does not understand.Philippians 4:7 NET And the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard

your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.The Lord of peace

2 Thessalonians 3:16 NET Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with

you all.

Think about Jesus. He is the example of peace. Peace is not apathy, or indifference,

or self-absorption.In Jesus we see sorrow, weeping, anger, love, all the human emotions. Yet he was filled with a calm which marked his whole life. Only through Jesus can we be calm in

our relations with people and calm in situations, and make all things work

together for the good.

The Channel of Peace2 Thessalonians 3:16 NET Now may the

Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with

you all.

A channel is a course or passage through which something may be moved or

directed. In this case God wants to move his peace into our lives.

God has unclogged the channel on his end by the gospel of Jesus Christ.

We need to unclog the channel on our end.

How?

The plan of salvation.

Hear God’s Word,Acts 2:14-37, Rom. 10:14Believe God’s Word,

Mark 16:15-16, Hebrews 11:6,Repent of sinful ways & turn to God,

Acts 2:38, 17:30-31, Luke 13:3Confess Jesus,

Matt. 10:32-33, Rom 10:9-10Submit to Baptism for the forgiveness of

your sins & gift of Holy SpiritActs 2:36, Mark 16:16, 1 Peter 3:20-21

Live faithfully all the days of your life. Titus 3:1, Hebrews 10:24-27, Matthew 6:33

The Duration of Peace“…give you peace at all times…"

God has not promised an easy life. No, God has promised peace in the midst of the

trials and troubles. John 16:33 NET I have told you these

things so that in me you may have peace. In the world you have trouble and suffering, but take courage — I have conquered the

world."

His peace is perpetual, unbroken in time and all the changing circumstances of life. What is being said here is that there is a peace available that we can experience

through disasters, calamities, sorrows, and losses. The peace of God may be

permanent, but to be that there must be a permanent communion and permanent obedience to God. God gives peace by

giving his presence. Last part of verse, The Lord be with you all.

When Jesus is in the boat, the waves calm. When Jesus is in a life, He speaks peace to

our souls.

Is he in your life?

The Lord be with us all.

Then the peace of the Lord shall clothe and fill our hearts in Christ Jesus.

The absence of peace.

There is no peace in hell. No clear conscience. Always guilty. No restful mind. always disturbed, full of anxiety and stress. Full of regrets. Nothing but regrets. Did not

surrender. Your will be done. No hope. Nothing but despair. No fellowship with

others or with God. No presence of God. On this earth we can block out pain. A

tortured heart is a terrible thing.

On a scale of 1 (blissfully peaceful) to 10 (high anxiety), where would you rate your sense of God’s peace right now? Hell is nothing but one big panic attack forever.

Come to the Lord of peace. If we come, he himself will give us peace at all times and in

every way.NO GOD, NO PEACE.

KNOW GOD, KNOW PEACE.